Feature and Follow Friday [13]

This is a weekly blog meme hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read.

Here are the general rules to Follow Friday:
1. Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts and any one else you want to follow on the list
2. Follow our Featured Bloggers - This week's feature is: Megz Madd Readz and Kathryn's Inbox
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
7. If you want to show the link list, just follow the link below the entries and copy and paste it within your post!
8. If your new to the follow Friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

This week's question is: Confess your blogger sins! Is there anything as a newbie blogger that you’ve done, that as you gained more experience you were like — oops?

Wow I feel like I am still learning a lot every single day. My blog is only 3 months old so I'm always thinking that I could have done things better after I look it over. I tend to be pretty critical though and not necessarily a perfectionist, but always trying to do my personal best. I wish I wouldn't have gone with Disqus comments because I know that I have readers that have a problem leaving a comment sometimes. I am still looking in to solving this and going back to the original comments or hoping Disqus solves the problems with certain browsers. I think I should have started with WordPress instead of Blogger. There are so many things that I could have done differently, but I also have to be proud of what I have accomplished so far and I am still having a lot of fun.

Fields of Elysium Book Blast

Fields of Elysium by A.B. Whelan

How can love mend a heart full of hate?

Small town girl, Molly Bennett, moves to Los Angeles where she becomes an outsider while attending Beverly Hills High School. It seems life cannot be any more dreadful. Then one day after school, something magical happens. On a secluded hike in the Hollywood Hills, Molly chases her disobedient mutt and only friend into a hidden cavern. She stumbles upon a strange glimmering gateway that transports her to Arkana, a planet that is the cradle of an advanced human race. There, teenagers navigate amazing flying vehicles, compete in perilous games for glory, and possess supernatural powers. While Molly tries to wrap her mind around this unbelievable discovery, she meets the alluring and mysterious Victor Sorren. He is a Sentinel Apprentice, whose hatred toward people from Earth is beyond understanding. Yet every time Victor unpredictably saves Molly's life, his heart draws closer to hers, no matter how much he tries to fight against it. It further complicates things that their growing friendship is strictly forbidden. Earth people are prohibited in Arkana, yet Molly continues to cross through the portal to Arkana to see Victor. Torn between their double lives, they go down a dangerous path, from where there is no return and multiple endings.

Fields of Elysium is a suspenseful, romantic tale full of forbidden secrets, unimaginable danger, deception, and the never-ending fight for true love.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Goodreads * Facebook

PRAISE

"The novel's take on otherworldly travel is a compelling one, and the romantic plot will likely appeal to Twilight fans." - Kirkus Reviews

"I expected a good love story with a paranormal twist. I got so much more. I think you should take the chance and read it. Let this book take you on the adventure, fall in love." - Young Adult and Teen Readers

"Fields of Elysium is a fabulous read. ... Whelan paints her faith into the fabric of her story with deft, light brushstrokes, making her work accessible to all, no matter their spiritual beliefs or background." - Readers Favorite

"I escaped into this fantasy world, author, A.B.Whelan, created and I didn’t want Molly to go. From detailed descriptions, to sweet romance, and to all the twist and turns in the story, it had me captivated from page one." - Mary Ting, author of the Crossroads Saga

"Whelan's writing is very vivid and descriptive. It's more formal than the average YA novel, but I enjoyed the lyrical and mesmerizing quality to it. I thought the overall story read like a fairy tale--very sweet." - Megan Thomason, author of Daynight

Author A.B. Whelan

A.B.Whelan is a Hungarian born, American writer. She currently lives with her husband and two children in Southern California.
While growing up in a wealthy Eastern European family, she had a chance to travel Europe. Later as an adult, she visited Africa and the Middle East and lived in Ecuador and in Crete.

Website * Facebook * Twitter

Tour Schedule

$50 Book Blast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash plus a gift bag of one signed copy of Fields of Elysium, a scrabble-tile pendant with a butterfly image on a chain necklace, and a fridge magnet.

Ends 3/11/13

Gift Bag open to US only.  If winner is international they will receive only the gift card or paypal cash.
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


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Waiting on Wednesday [14] - Crying is Healthy

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Teardrop by Lauren Kate

Publisher: October 22, 2013 Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy

Goodreads Summary

Never, ever cry. . . . Eureka Boudreaux's mother drilled that rule into her daughter years ago. But now her mother is gone, and everywhere Eureka goes he is there: Ander, the tall, pale blond boy who seems to know things he shouldn't, who tells Eureka she is in grave danger, who comes closer to making her cry than anyone has before.

But Ander doesn't know Eureka's darkest secret: ever since her mother drowned in a freak accident, Eureka wishes she were dead, too. She has little left that she cares about, just her oldest friend, Brooks, and a strange inheritance—a locket, a letter, a mysterious stone, and an ancient book no one understands. The book contains a haunting tale about a girl who got her heart broken and cried an entire continent into the sea. Eureka is about to discover that the ancient tale is more than a story, that Ander might be telling the truth . . . and that her life has far darker undercurrents than she ever imagined. From Lauren Kate comes an epic saga of heart-stopping romance, devastating secrets, and dark magic . . . a world where everything you love can be washed away.

ARC Review: Wicked Kiss (Nightwatchers #2) by Michelle Rowan

Publisher: February 26, 2013 Harlequin Teen
Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy
Format: Kindle
Source: Netgalley ARC *Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Teen for sending this to me for an honest review*


*Please note that it is very hard to review books past the first one in the series without having any spoilers at all. I will try to keep it as spoiler free as I can. The review for the first book in the series is here.

Goodreads Summary
MY KISS CAN KILL.

I used to be ordinary Samantha Day, but that's changed. Now, after one dark kiss from a dangerous boy, I can steal someone's soul...or their life. If I give in to the constant hunger inside me, I hurt anyone I kiss. If I don't...I hurt myself.

Bishop is the one whose kiss I crave most, but if I kiss him, I'll kill him. Then there's another boy, one I can't hurt. One whose kiss seems to miraculously quell my hunger. They're both part of a team of angels and demons that's joined forces in my city to fight a mysterious rising darkness, an evil that threatens everyone I know and love. I just wonder if I'll be able to help Bishop-or if I'm just another part of the darkness he's sworn to destroy....

NIGHTWATCHERS

When angels and demons must work together, something beyond evil is rising...

The Second in this Series, Better than the First

We all know that a lot of books fall into the '2nd book syndrome' and end up being my least favorite in the series. The love interests usually leave for 'noble' reasons and there is a lot of whining, heart break, and I'm left feeling like I should have skipped the book entirely. Not so with this one thankfully...it even surpassed how I felt about the first one.

The Good

The very first thing that I liked about this one is that Samantha stepped up and I became more attached to her as a reader. One of the things I disliked about Dark Kiss was that Sam seemed bratty and was constantly saying one thing but acting another way. She admits in this one that she was selfish for her past actions that were described in the first book and that she learned from her mistakes which is why she now worries over her mother. In this one, she is far more giving and self-sacrificing which is needed in a heroine.

Also, she helps her frenemy from the first book, Jordan, which definitely shows a strength of character and that's what I like to see. I enjoy it when we get to delve deeper into why someone isn't a joy to be around. I felt like I got closer to both Sam and Jordan, and that is an important part in making the characters well-rounded.

More on the character's growth was that I got to see flashbacks of Bishop's and Kraven's past. Even though as a reader I could see and infer most of the causes behind their rocky sibling relationship, it was a pleasure to learn the exact causes and see Samantha learn them as well. The introduction of Cassandra was also well-placed. Even though I thought she was just meant to me a love triangle distraction for Bishop since she appears to be a perfect match for him, I thoroughly enjoyed her part to play in this one.

Then there is the story! OK so I have read a ton of paranormal and fantasy books, but this one is different and chilling if you actually take the time to stop and think about what is going on in Samantha's world. I don't want to give too much away, but any time you are playing around with souls and the fact of angels and demons being on Earth, I get a little creeped out. The action is more intense and the stakes are a lot higher. I love how Rowan utilized foreshadowing so well that because I was paying attention in the first one, I did have an idea of where this one was going.

The Bad

Remember when I said that this one didn't have a lot of the qualities of books that fall into the '2nd book syndrome' trap? Well, this one does do the whole leaving for noble reasons thing. However, there was no whining, heart break, and it all made complete sense to me why it occurred.

Sometimes while reading, I would jump from one thing to another so quickly. It did end up flowing together smoothly, but the ride was a little bumpy at times.

The Romance

The fact is that Bishop and Sam cannot stay away from each other. Is it due to supernatural forces that are at work and not a natural attraction? This book answers that question. I must say that their romance seemed pretty doomed to me and I applaud the fact that they don't simply give up.

Conclusion

I was impressed with the way the story went in Wicked Kiss and that Rowan doesn't mind getting her hands dirty. I was overjoyed to become more attached to the characters and watch them down a road that seemed chilling and hopeless at times. Definitely recommended for paranormal fans.

Excerpts

"Someone just got killed! Don't you care?" He flicked a glance toward the body as he began to ascend the stairs behind me. "And how would my caring make any difference? Still happened. Dude's still dead."

"No, it's not. We'll keep looking. You, however -" Bishop raised his gaze to mine again "- are going home where it's safe.
"Safe?" I sputtered. "You want me to go home where it's safe." My frustration was mirrored on his face.
"Did I stutter?"
"Uh-oh," Kraven muttered. "Trouble in paradise."

He drew closer to me. Too close. I pressed my hands against his firm chest and he froze, looking down at where i touched him. But then I surprised him by shoving him backward. "Honestly. Just stay back, would you? Are you trying to make this more difficult?"

"The way you're looking at me right now makes me think it does matter. A lot."
"How am I looking at you?"
"Like you despise me."
"Am I?" I didn't despise Bishop, just the opposite. My feelings toward him were very confusing, true, but I didn't hate him. I didn't think I could ever hate him.

"You wanted to learn more about my past, Samantha. I guess you should be careful what you wish for."

Sunday Cover Scramble [5] - Too Hard?

Let's have some fun! I am going to post covers on here every Sunday that are scrambled up graphically, making it hard to tell what cover it is. I would like your guesses on what cover you think I've posted. I won't answer you until the end of the day to let you know if you are right, allowing other to guess as well. Some will be hard, and others may be easy. If you need hints, I will only post covers of series talked about on my blog previously. Here we go:

Here is a clearer version:

Book Blogger Love-a-Thon: Mini Challenge #2 Spine Poetry

The Book Blogger Love-a-Thon is hosted by Kate's Tales of Books and Bands and Alexa Loves Books. It is a day dedicated to giving love to some of your favorite book blogs. 

Spine Poetry

My son had a good time putting this spine poetry together for the mini challenge. I think he did a wonderful job :D

Some of these books are pretty old, but they work.

Realms of Magic

Fade Out

Untamed

The Hero of Ages

Definitely Dead

Book Blogger Love-A-Thon: Interview with Reflections of a Bookaholic

The Book Blogger Love-a-Thon is hosted by Kate's Tales of Books and Bands and Alexa Loves Books. It is a day dedicated to giving love to some of your favorite book blogs. 

I am proud to have with me today Alexis from Reflections of a Bookaholic.

Interview:

JC: How long have you been blogging and what made you start?

Alexis: I’ve been blogging since January 1, 2012.  Wait.  Since January 1, 2011.  I actually had to go look it up.  It feels like I just started yesterday.  It is weird really how time flies.

So I used to vent to my husband about books that I didn’t like.  He doesn’t read for fun and he was kind of tired of listening to me complain.  One day, the hubby suggested I start a blog  “or something” so I could talk about books.  I thought it was a fantastic idea and when I started to look into it, I realized that there were tons of book bloggers out there and I wouldn’t be weird or anything.  So I went for it.

JC: Who are some of your favorite authors?

Alexis: I don’t really have a favorite author.  It’s weird because I feel like I’m an anomaly in that.

JC: What are a few things on your bucket list?

Alexis: Gah!  Bucket List.  I want to go to travel to another country.  I haven’t done that at an adult age.  I want to really enjoy it.  I really haven’t thought about it much other than that.

JC: Describe what your book shelf looks like?

Alexis: I wish I was at home because I’d take a picture (I’m a traveling fool).  My bookshelf is in a stage of turmoil because I’m in the process of mailing books across every which way.  I have sticky notes telling me where to send things and mailing envelopes stacked on top of books.  I have bags and bags of books in front of my book case waiting to earn a spot onto the shelves.  A picture would be so much better.

JC: What are your thoughts on books turned to movies?

Alexis: I love them!  Not because they are better than the book or anything.  I feel like the movies demonstrate that books are simply the best entertainment.   The best movies come from books and they aren’t even as good as the real thing.  

JC: What are some tips that you would offer to other bloggers?

Alexis: Network.  Network.  Network.  The best part of blogging is the fun you have interacting with other bloggers.  Blogging gets tough and stressful sometimes.   It’s easy to get burnt out but relationships with other bloggers will get you through it.  Don’t wait for them to come to your blog, go to theirs.  Make friends!  That’s my biggest tip, I think.

JC: Coffee? Tea? Soda? Or Hot Chocolate?

Alexis: Coffee & Tea: Coffee on days where I need to just get through the day (or life) and Tea on days I need to relax and enjoy life.

Thank you, Alexis, for answering a few of my questions :)

Everyone, head on over to Reflections of a Bookaholic to check out her blog and to see the interview that she did with me.

Sidekick Saturday [11] - A Special Early Sidekick

Sidekick Saturday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted here by Jaclyn at JC's Book Haven. There are many secondary characters that are as great as the primaries. In some cases, the sidekicks actually steal the show and you like them better than the heroine or hero. Maybe they didn't have enough page time for how great they were. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Choose a sidekick *or someone other than the hero or heroine* that you would like to put in the spotlight that fits in this week's type
• Share a picture and information about the character
• Give the title and author of a book the character can be found in
• Please don't include too many spoilers when describing why the character is such a great sidekick
• Put your link in the Linky thing and comment

A special early Sidekick post this time - Robyn Jones is highlighting a character from Soul Walker while we are celebrating the week free at Amazon. You really need to see more about Betsy - she is my favorite in the series. You can still participate in the giveaway of the Amazon gift cards until end of day Friday.

This week's sidekick type is - Snarky

My choice is Grimalkin from
The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa

By Balkankedi angora breeds. [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

I am a cat.

Grimalkin is my absolutely favorite part of The Iron Fey series. So far I have only read the first two books, but he has grabbed my attention. He is very mysterious, often disappearing at random times. However, he is generally there when Meghan is in need of his help. 

Quotes:

“Wait, you already know where you are?” Puck demanded as we edged toward the mouth of the alley, stepping over trash and piles of debris.
“How does that work, cat?”
“Most cities are very much the same, Goodfellow.” Grimalkin reached the edge of the sidewalk and peered back, waving his tail. “Trods are everywhere, if you know where to look. Also, I am a cat.” And he trotted off down the street.”

---

“Grimalkin sighed loudly, causing me to look back and Razor to hiss at him. “Am I the only one here who has any insight at all?” he said, looking to each of our faces. We stared at him, and he shook his head. “Drawing a blank, are you? Think about what you just said, human. Repeat that last phrase, if you would.”
I frowned. “Isn’t that where you want to be?”
He closed his eyes. “The next phrase, human.”
“With all the other gremlins.” He stared at me expectantly, and I raised my hands. “What? What are you getting at, Grim?”
Grimalkin thumped his tail. “It is times like these I am ever more grateful that I am a cat,” he sighed. “Why do you think I brought you that creature, human? To keep up my stalking skills? I assure you, they are quite adequate already. Please attempt to use the brain I know is hidden somewhere in that head.”

---

“What am I going to do?"
"Hopefully obsess in silence so I can get to sleep".

---

“W-what do you want?" I asked, thankful that my voice only trembled a little bit.
That Cat Didn't blink. "Human," he said, and if a cat could sound patronizing, this one nailed it, "think about the absurdity of the question. I am resting in my tree, minding my own business and wondering if I should hunt today, when you come flying in like a bean sidhe and scare off every bird for miles around. Then, you have the audacity to ask what I want." He sniffed and gave me a very catlike stare of disdain. "I am aware that mortals are rude and barbaric, but still.”

---

“This is all quite fascinating," Grimalkin said, his voice slurring in my ears, "but instead of posing and scratching the ground like rutting peacocks, perhaps you should look to the girl.”

Soul Walker Book Blitz Hop

We are celebrating Soul Walker's free days on Amazon with a Blog Hop + Giveaway. Please read below for the Giveaway because there can be a total of 5 winners and the prizes are different amounts of Amazon Gift Cards - up to $30 on one.

Goodreads Summary
"I need to get you to the hospital." He was taking responsibility for me. Only my parents had that job. I stretched my hand out in protest, but the lack of depth perception had my trembling fingers grazing his overheated neck. I swore his whole body shook.

When five-year-old Anna Pierce is offered a chance to have nightmare-free nights for the small price of her voice, she jumps at it. Silence has to be better than all-consuming dreams about blood and death and fangy monsters. The bargain she strikes comes with a secondary benefit, visions of a person's future potential. The combination of visions and silence changes her very nature and soon she's diagnosed with autism. Twelve years of living in her head comes to a screeching halt the moment Peter Davis pulls her out of an icy river. 

Her new life has her twirling, tiptoeing, and crashing through unfamiliar territory, one filled with a cranky grandma, a knocked up cousin, an unpleasant cousin, a bunch of mostly good vampires, and the boy who rescued her. 

To top it all off, the deal she made at five is no more. Anna is expected to talk, to figure out her resurfacing nightmares, and to control her ever-growing powers. And she'd better get it done soon because if the good vamps want a piece of a living, breathing Touched girl, the evil ones simply want. They'll take Anna for their very own.

Soul Walker is the first book in the Touched Girl Series. It's approximately 91,000 words. Be on the look out for Soul Bender, coming March 2013.
(excerpt from Amazon Product Description

I am so thankful to have Peter with me today! He's going to answer a few questions for us. He's usually a pretty private person so this is definitely a treat.

JC: Anna is silent for a very long time, how have you have gotten to know her without her voice?

Peter: I used to determine exactly what kind of day she was having based on her smile. She had so many incremental variations. My two favorites were her happy beyond belief smile and her cranky, but don't want to hurt her parents' feelings smile. She did this thing with one corner of her mouth that said so many things. “Stop dancing in front of my favorite TV show.” or “I wasn't ready to come out of the water.”

JC: Very true, a lot can be said in a person's smile. How about this, if you could spend an entire day doing anything you wanted, what would it be?

Peter: Anna asked me to answer your questions honestly since I've been on her case about sharing with me. Can you believe she used those words 'on her case'? I'd be on one of Anna's adventures with Anna. She's never been sky diving. Her mom vetoed that idea. We'd catch something to eat on the drive back. No vamp speed or vamp powers. Just human Peter and human Anna. Later, with dusted up hair and skin, we'd . . . I don't think honesty stretches that far.

JC: You're right...that might dive a little into the TMI category.  However, Anna is not modest in the slightest, how do you feel about this trait of hers?

Peter: I feel like a man about it. I want to bite anyone looking at her the way I'm looking at her. Well, the biting part sounds more like a vampire response. I would beat the shit out of them.

JC: Whoa now...one word I would use to describe you is protective. How would you describe yourself?

Peter: Lately, I've been feeling very redeemable. I'm not just a hunter anymore.

JC: That's something to be proud of - what is the thing that you are most proud of?

Peter: When my parents died in my human lifetime, I took care of my sister like she was my own child. I think I gave her a really great life in those few years I got to have with her. Whew, I don't know. Let's start over. I only talk about my sister with Anna. No. Never mind, the answer stands.

JC: OK, we'll keep it. If you could change anything, what would it be?

Peter: We repeat our mistakes, all of us, humans, vamps, creatures I'm not at liberty to discuss. I guess it's important we ask this question, but for the life of me I can't untangle the thoughts of what I'd lose if I changed a single thing about my past. Would Anna ask for her parents back? She'd tell you not to risk such dangerous wishes.

JC: You mention a lot of types of creatures out there...where are all the places that you have lived?

Peter: Believe it or not, I don't remember every single place I've lived. Lilian took us to Greece. Lance insisted we travel the French countryside. We all thought it would be cool to hitchhike from New York to San Francisco. It was a game to see who came across the most bad guys. Jared beat out Lance by two. I kissed him for it.

JC: Wow I don't even know what to say to that. Let's move on to something more mundane...what type of shoes do you wear

Peter: Comfortable ones. When Anna lived on Guam I could get away with wearing zorries...oh, sorry, slippers. Jared and I go to the mall now and then to keep Lance off our backs. I found these low sneakers I really like.

JC: Sounds like the Converses I love so much. Let's finish with - what words or phrases do you most overuse?

Peter: 'Come on, Jared. I'm right here.' Have you noticed how he flirts with Anna?

I have indeed. Peter thank you so much for coming to answer some questions with me today. I really enjoyed diving into your psyche further :)

You can get Soul Walker for FREE on Amazon from February 18th - February 22nd. Also, Prime members can borrow for free anytime.

About Robyn Jones:

I'm the mom of two hardcore boys. My oldest trained me to be matter-of-fact, no frills. My youngest wants the whole singsongy sweet package. Thank goodness for reading and writing because they are my sanity makers. I know life is all about the journey, that's why I like my fiction to be all about the destination. I want to be taken somewhere not here when I read, same goes with the stories I create. Thrills, chills, tears, and laughter, but there has to be something to hold on to at the end.

Blog / Twitter / Goodreads 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out the previous posts for the week: Author Interview at Forget the Housework, I'm Reading, Excerpt of Soul Walker at Busy Moms Books, Excerpt of Soul Bender at PRUF Reads...and don't miss the special edition of Sidekick Saturday this week which will be posted early and Robgirlbooks will be highlighting a character from Soul Walker.

Waiting on Wednesday [13] - Two of you exist...One survives?

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Dualed (Dualed #1) by Elsie Chapman

Publisher: February 26, 2013 Random House Books
Genre: YA, Dystopia, Fantasy

Goodreads Summary

The city of Kersh is a safe haven, but the price of safety is high. Everyone has a genetic Alternate—a twin raised by another family—and citizens must prove their worth by eliminating their Alts before their twentieth birthday. Survival means advanced schooling, a good job, marriage—life.

Fifteen-year-old West Grayer has trained as a fighter, preparing for the day when her assignment arrives and she will have one month to hunt down and kill her Alt. But then a tragic misstep shakes West’s confidence. Stricken with grief and guilt, she’s no longer certain that she’s the best version of herself, the version worthy of a future. If she is to have any chance of winning, she must stop running not only from her Alt, but also from love . . . though both have the power to destroy her.

Elsie Chapman's suspenseful YA debut weaves unexpected romance into a novel full of fast-paced action and thought-provoking philosophy. When the story ends, discussions will begin about this future society where every adult is a murderer and every child knows there is another out there who just might be better.

Teaser Tuesday [12] - Damsel in Distress?

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers.

Wicked Kiss (Nightwatchers #2) by Michelle Rowan

Teaser:

I'd never been the damsel in distress type, the girl who dreamed of a guy sweeping in to save her in the nick of time like they did in corny movies. Besides, if I looked at this objectively, I wasn't the damsel in distress in this situation - Jordan was. I was the scary thing hiding in the shadows ready to leap out and devour her.

Goodreads Summary:


MY KISS CAN KILL.

I used to be ordinary Samantha Day, but that's changed. Now, after one dark kiss from a dangerous boy, I can steal someone's soul...or their life. If I give in to the constant hunger inside me, I hurt anyone I kiss. If I don't...I hurt myself.

Bishop is the one whose kiss I crave most, but if I kiss him, I'll kill him. Then there's another boy, one I can't hurt. One whose kiss seems to miraculously quell my hunger. They're both part of a team of angels and demons that's joined forces in my city to fight a mysterious rising darkness, an evil that threatens everyone I know and love. I just wonder if I'll be able to help Bishop-or if I'm just another part of the darkness he's sworn to destroy....

NIGHTWATCHERS

When angels and demons must work together, something beyond evil is rising...

Review: The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1) by Julie Kagawa

Publisher: April 24, 2012 Harlequin Teen
Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy
Format: Kindle
Source: Purchased

Goodreads Summary
To survive in a ruined world, she must embrace the darkness…

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a walled-in city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them—the vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself dies and becomes one of the monsters.

Forced to flee her city, Allie must pass for human as she joins a ragged group of pilgrims seeking a legend—a place that might have a cure for the disease that killed off most of civilization and created the rabids, the bloodthirsty creatures who threaten human and vampire alike. And soon Allie will have to decide what and who is worth dying for…again.

Enter Julie Kagawa's dark and twisted world as an unforgettable journey begins. 

What happens when you become the monster?

I like reading about vampires in all their forms. Especially the kind that are to be feared. There are two different types of vampires in The Immortal Rules and believe me when I say you wouldn't want to meet either in a dark alley (or a dank sewer).

The Good

This book is all about change and the fact that no matter who you are, change happens. It is separated into four parts to prove this point and each part represents a significant change in Allison's life. In the first part, I was proud to see that the weakest player in this book is actually a male. Is that sexist? Probably...but even with all the female heroines in the books I read, I don't usually see 'You are the weakest link...Goodbye!' being a guy character. Stick takes the title in this one. I was often yelling at him to man up. I loved how Allison dealt with him though, telling him that he he has to stand up for himself so others will leave him alone. This is an important message that I hope resonates with readers.

The second part shows Allison having to deal with becoming what she has always hated. This would be incredibly hard to deal with, right? Since she made the choice though, she has to live with the consequences. I enjoyed watching her deal with it and eventually accept her actions. She is a character that admits her mistakes and this is a very redeemable quality.

Kanin is an interesting and mysterious character that I hope to learn more about. While I got bits and pieces about him and his character (I did figure out his background before he told us), it wasn't really enough. There is a lot more going on with him, and I can't wait to find it out.

Part 3 goes through what happens when Allison does not heed the warnings of others. She crosses paths with a new group and I'm introduced to a great band of characters. Some children, some fanatical adults, and some that garnered the attention of Allison. Zeke or Ezekiel is strong, sweet, and loyal so it is no surprise that she grew pretty close to him.

The part with the majority of the action was Part 4 which of course was the climax of this book. I feel like Part 1 and Part 4 really had the most going on. Kagawa doesn't hold much back, and there is a lot of 'Huh?', 'What?', and 'Oh My Goodness!' happening.

The Bad

There were slow parts in the novel. In these parts, I felt like I was learning important new lessons and it didn't bother me as much, but the pacing wasn't one where I couldn't put the book down. I did...pretty often.

The Romance

The romance that blooms between Allison and Zeke is hard to root for really because as a reader I knew that they were pretty doomed even though both of them didn't. However, the ending was a sad realization that I hope things work out between these two.

Conclusion

This was an excellent vampire tale that had great life lessons as well as plenty of action. Allison is such a strong character already that I have a hard time imagining where she can grow from here. The characters that she met along her path were all great in their own ways. I cannot wait to read the second one in this series!

Excerpts

"So kick him in the shin and tell him to back off," I said, tossing the rag on the shelf and carefully picking up the abused book. Its cover had been ripped off, and the front page was torn, but it seemed otherwise intact. "Rat picks on you 'cause you take it. If you fight back, he'll leave you alone."
Stick didn't say anything, lapsing into sullen silence, and I bit down my irritation. He wouldn't fight back. He would do what he always did - run to me and expect me to help him.

People will tell you that it's impossible to leave New Covington, that the Outer Wall is impenetrable  that no one can get in or out of the city even if they want to. People are wrong.

"Yeah, well, that's what happens when you let the cattle starve," I snapped, narrowing my eyes.

"Good. Because the next time you throw a tantrum like that, I will leave. It is no one's fault that your friends are dead. And if you keep holding on to that guilt, it will destroy you, and my work here will be for nothing. Do you understand?"

"When you are finished, leave this where your prey will find it."
I frowned, lifting a corner of the paper, finding a pair of shoes inside, fairly new and sturdy. "What's this?"
"An exchange," Kanin replied and turned away as I continued to stare at him. "For the harm our actions will bring them tonight."

Review: Dark Kiss (Nightwatchers #1) by Michelle Rowan

Publisher: May 22, 2012 Harlequin Teen
Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy
Format: Kindle
Source: Purchased

Goodreads Summary
I don't do dangerous.

Smart, über-careful, ordinary Samantha-that's me. But I just couldn't pass up a surprise kiss from my number-one unattainable crush. A kiss that did something to me...something strange. Now I feel hungry all the time, but not for food. It's like part of me is missing-and I don't know if I can get it back.

Then there's Bishop. At first I thought he was just a street kid, but the secrets he's keeping are as intense as his unearthly blue eyes. If he's what I think he is, he may be the only one who can help me. But something terrifying is closing in, and the one chance Bishop and I have to stop it means losing everything I ever wanted and embracing the darkness inside me....

NIGHTWATCHERS

When angels and demons must work together, something beyond evil is rising...

Bishop it's just you - Mahogany and Blue

I am a sucker for books about angels and demons and take a look at that cover. However, Dark Kiss neither wow'd me nor did I hate it.

The Good

It starts out with a familiar relationship of two best girl friends, one who is lamenting a bad relationship with a cheater and one who is crushing on an older boy. Samantha, who has this crush, unexpectedly gets a kiss from Stephen, and he just walks away but not without leaving a life-changing hole inside her.

Once she meets Bishop, the story starts taking a turn from teen drama to a more paranormal read. There are electrical sparks, there is a feeling that the two need to be around each other, and yes this has all been done before. I would put the insta-love in the bad category, but Bishop really made the book for me so it was important that he was around as often as he was. Thankfully, the reasons behind it are a little different as it was important for Sam to help Bishop on his quest by finding beams of light. That sounds really strange, but stay with me here. They are going around to each of these beams and finding members of Bishop's team who are enjoyable in their own rights. Kraven, who is a demon, shares some juicy information about a past when he and Bishop were humans and I am interested in learning more about these two during that time.

There is also a bee motif throughout the novel. Sam equates her interactions with guys as stings or climbing into the nest. It's really enjoyable imagery for the situations.

The Bad

I don't think I ever got attached to the main character in this one. Sam just wasn't a character that I liked as a protagonist. In the beginning, as she is explaining why she would walk up to a street kid, she tells me that she ran away from home when her parents got a divorce because her mom started working and she should have been her mother's whole world. WHOA! As a single parent, this hits all the wrong buttons for me. What this means to me in the book is that she is a little bratty. I labeled her this way pretty early on so it was hard to draw closer to her.

The Romance

There is some chemistry between Samantha and Bishop that causes good tension and he makes a great romantic interest. Without giving too much away though, all I can really say is that currently their romance is hitting some brick walls.

Conclusion

This book had a nice concept that I hadn't seen put together this way and has potential to go somewhere certainly further in the series. I hope to feel more of a connection with the main character, but the other side characters are an eclectic bunch that I enjoyed learning about.  I will be reading the second one in the series to see where this one goes because I am interested.

Excerpts

My mother thundered down the hallway and yanked open my bedroom door.
"What's wrong?" Her face was pale, her normally perfect blond hair a mess. She pulled her bathrobe tighter around her. Dark circles cut under her pale blue eyes. She suffered from insomnia and usually got only a few hours of sleep a night. A screaming daughter didn't exactly help matters.
I looked at her from my tangle of light pink bedsheets. "Bad dream. Really bad dream."
"A bad dream? That's all it was? I thought you were being murdered in here."

When he entwined our fingers, for just a moment I forgot about everything else - it all slipped away and there was only him. When Bishop was totally sane, I wanted to kiss him so badly I could barely restrain myself.
And the way he looked at me, too, with gratitude and something else, something way deeper and more intense...
"I can practically hear the violins playing," Kraven drawled. "So romantic I could die."

Sunday Cover Scramble [4] - Can You Guess?

Let's have some fun! I am going to post covers on here every Sunday that are scrambled up graphically, making it hard to tell what cover it is. I would like your guesses on what cover you think I've posted. I won't answer you until the end of the day to let you know if you are right, allowing other to guess as well. Some will be hard, and others may be easy. If you need hints, I will only post covers of series talked about on my blog previously. Here we go:

Sidekick Saturday [10]

Sidekick Saturday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted here by Jaclyn at JC's Book Haven. There are many secondary characters that are as great as the primaries. In some cases, the sidekicks actually steal the show and you like them better than the heroine or hero. Maybe they didn't have enough page time for how great they were. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Choose a sidekick *or someone other than the hero or heroine* that you would like to put in the spotlight that fits in this week's type
• Share a picture and information about the character
• Give the title and author of a book the character can be found in
• Please don't include too many spoilers when describing why the character is such a great sidekick
• Put your link in the Linky thing and comment

This week's sidekick type is - Bubbly:

My choice is Dee Black from The Lux Series by Jennifer Armentrout

Kristin Kreuk reminds me of Dee:

By Carlos Almendarez from San Francisco, USA (We ran into Kristin Kreuk from Smallville) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

According to Katy, Dee isn't bubbly, she is just really alive. For all intents and purposes though, she fits for this post. She is Daemon's sister and immediately befriends Katy when she meets her neighbor even going as far as helping her plant her garden. She pulls this book blogger out of her house where she would happily live inside her books and actually gets her involved in school dances and dressing up and socializing with other people.

Quotes:


“I didn't tell you this because I'm sure you would've changed your mind about the dress."
"What?" I frowned. "Does it make my butt look big?"
She laughed. "No. You looked stunning in it."
"Then what's the deal?"
Her smile turned downright mischievous. "Oh, you know, just that the color red is Daemon's favorite.”

---

“Daemon!" Dee called from the kitchen. "I need your help!"
"We should go see what she's doing before she destroys your kitchen." He rubbed his hands down his face. "It's possible.”

---

Dee arched a perfectly groomed brow. "Yeah, he was gone all day Sunday. And so were you. And while he was gone, a certain someone came looking for him."

---

"I can't believe you ate all the ice cream, Daemon!"
I cringed and stopped inside the dining room. There was no way I was going into the kitchen.
"I didn't eat all of it."
"Oh, so, it ate itself?" Dee shrieked so loudly I thought I heard the rafters in the ceiling shake. "Did the spoon eat it? Oh wait, I know. The carton ate it."
"Actually, I think the freezer ate it," Daemon responded dryly. I grinned when I heard what sounded like the empty container hitting what suspiciously sounded like flesh.

Feature and Follow Friday [12]

This is a weekly blog meme hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read.

Here are the general rules to Follow Friday:
1. Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts and any one else you want to follow on the list
2. Follow our Featured Bloggers - This week's feature is: Ginger Read and The LUV'NV
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
7. If you want to show the link list, just follow the link below the entries and copy and paste it within your post!
8. If your new to the follow Friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

This week's ACTIVITY is: Write a letter to your favorite character. Rant, rave or gush…just pretend like they are real and you just want to let them know a "few things". - Activity courtesy of author Kelly Walker

I have quite a few favorites! I am going to go with Rachel Morgan from The Hollows series to write my letter to.

Dear Rachel,

I hope you are having an excellent Valentine's Day. My guess is you have a handsome elf nearby so please do me the favor of telling him hello from me. I just returned from dinner with my best friend and kids to celebrate the occasion. Her youngest decided to belt out his version of a song and became a playful whirlwind with cars and trucks all over the place. I'm sure you know what I mean with Lucy, but I doubt Ray gives you the same trouble since she is more reserved.

I received your care package at Christmas. Thank you for the pain amulets...those always come in handy.  The Tinkerbell statue from Jenks was such a great bonus as well as the pink underoos that Belle made for it. I do hope Jenks is happy and delivering great one-liners.

In regards to the advice that you asked for, I have to say GO FOR IT. You have been feeling something and fighting it for far too long now, and it's time to take the leap. I look forward to hearing all about it when you do.

Yours Truly,

Jaclyn